Currently, rhinoplasty is the only way to deal with any form of nasal reconstruction. Patients generally undergo rhinoplasty due to either nasal deformity or a desire for improved appearance. Deformity may be the result of an accident, genetics, or even a birth defect. In any case, rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure involving all of the common associated surgical risks and recovery time. Patients are often left with severe bruising around the eyes, commonly referred to as “panda eyes,” with full recovery generally taking up to one year. Many patients try to hide the surgery from friends and family or refer to it as surgery to heal a “deviated septum” to disguise their true intentions. Lastly, patients are sometimes unhappy with the end result but left with little choice but to accept it, as the procedure is “all or nothing.” If the patient is truly unhappy, they can go through a second procedure, after waiting a sufficient time for the effects of the first procedure to heal, and start the process all over again. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,943, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein, which discloses a mask for showing the appearance of the nose after rhinoplasty.
While rhinoplasty is the most common surgery to address facial imperfections or deformity, it is not the only such procedure. In addition to rhinoplasty, there are surgeries to improve the appearance of the cheeks, chin, forehead, and eye sockets. Similar surgeries and associated risks exist for these procedures.
Other devices or methods for reshaping the nose are also known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 850,978 and U.S. Publication No. 2010/0042139, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference herein.